July 7 — Middle East: IRAQ

A powerful truck bomb explodes at a busy marketplace in the northern Iraqi town of Amirli, killing 130 people and injuring 240. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki blames insurgents for the attack. Amirli is located in an ethnically diverse area of Iraq, and is home to a large Shia Turkmen community.

July 10 — Europe: CYPRUS/MALTA/EUROPEAN UNION

The European Union (EU) approves Cyprus and Malta entry into the Eurozone. On January 1, 2008, the euro will replace the Cypriot pound and the Maltese lira as the official currency of these countries. Before joining the Eurozone, EU member-states have to meet strict criteria on inflation, interest rates, debt, deficits, and currency stability.

July 10 — East Asia: CHINA

Zheng Xiaoyu, the former head of China’s State Food and Drug Administration, is executed for corruption. He was accused of taking bribes in exchange for approving sub-standard medicines, which were linked to several deaths. Following Zheng’s execution, the Chinese government orders an urgent review of thousands of drug licenses awarded during his tenure.

July 10 — North America/Europe/International Organizations: CANADA/RUSSIA

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper unveils his government’s plan to reassert Canada’s claim to sovereignty over Arctic waters. The plan includes building six patrol ships with ice-breaking hulls to make the country’s presence visible in the area. Canadian claims are challenged by Russia, which has sent an exploratory submarine to Arctic waters to find an underwater ridge, a proof that the northern continent is an extension of Russia’s continental territory. The Arctic is thought to be rich in natural resources, including gas, oil, and diamonds. Other countries state that the Arctic waters are international territory.

July 10 — South Asia: PAKISTAN

Pakistani security troops storm the Red Mosque complex in Islamabad after a week-long siege. The complex contained well-armed extremists from a variety of banned parties and groups, including some linked to al Qaeda and Taliban militants. About 100 people, including soldiers and the leader of the rebels, are killed in the fight that ends the siege and removes the extremists. The extremists called for the overthrow of Pakistan’s government and implementing Islamic sharia law.

July 13 — Middle East/International Organizations: IRAN/IAEA

The United Nations’ nuclear supervisory body, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reaches a deal with Iran to allow inspections at the country’s Arak heavy water plant and safeguards at the Natanz uranium enrichment plant. The head of the IAEA, Mohammed El Baradei, says that these kinds of agreements could resolve the ongoing diplomatic crisis over Iran’s nuclear program.

July 17 — Europe/North America: POLAND/UNITED STATES/RUSSIA

After meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush, Polish President Lech Kaczynski reaffirms Poland’s decision to allow parts of a U.S. missile defense system on its territory. Russia, however, is against the project, and threatens that if the United States proceeds, Russia will point its missiles at Europe. Three days earlier, Russia suspended the 1990 Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty (CFE), which limits the amount of major conventional weapons deployed between the Atlantic Ocean and the Ural Mountains.

July 18 — East Asia: NORTH KOREA

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirms that North Korea has shut down all five nuclear facilities at its main Yongbyon complex. In return, the country will receive one million tons of fuel oil supplied by the five countries involved in the nuclear negotiations — the United States, China, South Korea, Japan, and Russia. Simultaneously, the six-country talks resume in China, where the participants discuss a timetable for the deal’s second phase: North Korea’s disabling all nuclear facilities.

July 19 — Europe: RUSSIA/UNITED KINGDOM

Russia expels four British diplomats in retaliation for the expulsion of four Russian diplomats from Britain over the Litvinenko affair. Alexander Litvinenko, a former KGB agent and a naturalized British citizen, was poisoned in London by radioactive polonium-210 in 2006. Russia has repeatedly refused to extradite a suspect in Litvinenko’s murder to Britain.

July 20 — South Asia: PAKISTAN

Pakistan’s Supreme Court reinstates the country’s chief justice, Iftikhar Chaudhry, in a move seen as a blow to President Pervez Musharraf’s authority. Musharraf suspended Chaudhry four months earlier amid accusations of corruption. His opponents, however, say that Musharraf has violated the judiciary’s independence and demand his resignation.

July 20 — Middle East: ISRAEL/PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES

Israel releases 256 Palestinian prisoners to show its support for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his emergency government operating from the West Bank. None of the released prisoners are from Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip. Earlier this month, Israel released the first installment of $117 million in tax funds that was withheld during a 17-month long boycott of the Palestinian Authority.

July 23 — Europe/Middle East: TURKEY

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is re-elected for a second term after his Justice and Development Party (AK Party) wins parliamentary elections. Erdogan called the elections early after the secular parties blocked his choice of a former Islamist ally as the next president. The election demonstrates the tensions between Turkey’s secular establishment and the Islamic AK Party. Prime Minister Erdogan vows to continue reforms to join the European Union.

July 25 — South Asia: INDIA

Pratibha Patil, the former governor of the northern Indian state of Rajasthan and a candidate of the ruling Congress Party, becomes India’s first female president. Her supporters say her election is a victory for women and a step toward gender equality, but critics wonder how much influence she will have holding this largely ceremonial position.

July 25 — Middle East/Europe: LIBYA/FRANCE/EUROPEAN UNION

Libya and France sign agreements covering security, health care, immigration issues, and a nuclear energy project a day after Libya releases five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor. The medics were accused of deliberately infecting Libyan children with HIV and sentenced to death. The deals are seen as a sign of normalization of relations between Libya and the European Union. The EU was deeply involved in negotiations to free the medics.

July 26 — Middle East/International Organizations: IRAQ

Iraq’s neighbors, the United Nations, the United States, and the United Kingdom attend an international conference in Jordan focusing on the situation of two million Iraqi refugees. A final statement calls on the international community to provide all possible support to the Iraqi people. Fifty thousand Iraqis flee their country every month, mostly to Jordan and Syria, where they become a burden on these countries’ social services.

July 30 — East Asia: JAPAN

Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, says he will stay in office despite his party’s defeat in the elections for the upper house of parliament. He pledges to reshuffle his cabinet and to continue reforms. Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lost seats due to a series of ministerial scandals and a crisis over lost pension records, which affected millions of payments. The opposition Democratic Party of Japan gained the most seats in the upper house.

July 31 — Europe: UNITED KINGDOM

The British army officially ends its longest continuous campaign, Operation Banner, in Northern Ireland. The British troops were sent to the province in 1969 in response to violent clashes between Catholics and Protestants. A garrison of 5,000 troops will remain as support for Northern Ireland’s police.